Best Digital Converter Box

Just in case you are still in doubt, digital TV is here to stay and doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. We understand that you’ve had your analog TV set for a long time and it has taken you through some tough times and having it to put it in the basement to collect dust might be a tough and emotional task for you.

Lucky for you, digital TV did not come to render analog TVs useless. All you need is a sweet and carefully chosen digital converter box and your analog TV will be roaring back to life in not time. If you are looking to keep your analog TV around for longer, then you are at the right place.

Not only will a good digital converter box save you from having to buy an entirely new set but, they also offer a wide range of benefits to the user like the better picture and sound quality, a large number of channel choices,, favorite channel listings, auto power settings, built-in media players and many others. So, you shouldn’t think that by getting a digital converter box you will be short-changed. It will be in case you don’t take time to make the right pick but, you don’t have to worry we will help you with that.

 

Best Digital Converter Box 2018

Now you know why you need a digital converter box and the benefits of having one. But, to save you from disappointment, it is worth mentioning that you need to make sure that you pick the best models depending on your needs. The last thing you want is to make your analogue TV feel incapacitated. These reviews should help you make a much better decision.

1byone ATSC Digital Converter Box

With this little converter box, you can enjoy 1080p digital broadcasts from your analog TV which makes it convenient and very handy. Bring the power of TV into your home with the ability to pause and record Live TV so you never have to miss a moment no matter how many times you have to go and check if you put the garbage out.

If you love reruns, the recording feature will let you enjoy the content for as long as you want. If you just got off work and you are worried about missing your favorite show, scheduling it for recording will make sure you don’t miss the action. The converter supports FAT32, NTFS AND USB flash stick. Other features include parental controls, program guides, closed captioning, auto tuning, favorite channel lists and you have the option of manual and auto tuning and you get up to 12 months of warranty.

Koramzi HDTV Digital TV Converter Box ATSC

Here is another digital converter box that you are going to love. It has quite a number of features including a front facing USB port, program guide, auto tuning, recording PVR favorite channel list and parental control function.

The converter box is able to support full HD 1080p output and other resolutions. The aspect ratio is 4:3 and 16:9 and with the help of the manual and automatic scan, you can find all the digital broadcast channels with ease. The converter is able to deliver Dolby signals over a HDMI connection and is fully ATSC compliant. We loved the Koramzi HDTV converter box largely because of its simplistic approach and wealth of features. It makes up for everything that your analog TV might not have.

Viewtv AT-163 ATSC Digital TV Converter Box

If you would rather not go out looking for the cables to connect your digital converter, you will love what you get with this one.

Let’s start with its functionalities and features. The digital converter passes the converted signal to your TV through the antenna input. It has a 1080p output among others like YPbPr and coaxial and even though it has QAM functionalities, this is not yet fully supported but with time, it might be.

You will be able to enjoy a wide array of channels thanks to the auto tuning feature and keep up to date with all your favorite programs with the help of the program guide, recording PVR, favorite channel list and the closed caption.

You can also control what your children are able to watch using the parental control feature which is very important to most parents. The USB port allows you to play different types of media files and there are quite a number of formats that are supported which include DivX, AVI, MKV, MPEG-2, VOB, FLV, MOV and a hound of others. It is quite comprehensive when it comes to the kind of content that you can play on this device which is quite commendable.

The box also comes with quite a number of goodies which include the cabling including the HDMI cable with a right angle adapter, a detachable amplifier and an upgraded remote.

Mediaasonic HOMEWORX HW130STB HDTV Digital Converter Box

Let us start by noting that this particular converter is made to convert over the air signals. If you want something that replaces your cable box, this might not be the best option for you. That said it has features ranging from real-time recording and programmed time recording to parental control functions.

You will also be able to enjoy the auto tuning to help you capture as many channels as possible and its HDMI 1080p output will make sure that you have the most exhilarating viewing experience. You can also enjoy the coaxial and composite output as well as the closed caption.

When using this converter box, it is not advisable to use a flash drive but the port can support a USB 3.0 and lower variety external hard drive with a capacity of up to 2TB.

Digital Stream Analog Pass-Through DTV Converter Box

One of the greatest challenges with this digital equipment is the army of buttons they come with. While they improve functionality, every time you look at the device, you feel like buttons are taking over your life and space. We loved this one because it had a neat and clean design and the layout on the remote was quite spacious making it feel simple yet functional.

The Fully ATSC compliant device delivers Dolby signals over an HDMI connection and it supports an on-screen electronic program guide support and closed caption. With this digital converter, you will also be able to receive all free HDTV channels in MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 format.

You will also be able to enjoy a variety of other features that are synonymous with some of the other devices that we have covered in this review like the auto tuning, program guide, closed caption, favorite channel, and parental control functions.

There is also an English/Spanish on screen display menu and you can enjoy high quality composite videos with this digital converter box.

ViewTV AT-163 ATSC Digital TV Converter Box and Media Player

This is a great digital converter box that doubles up as a media player with the ability to support quite a number of different formats. It makes up for a great substitute of a DVD player with the exception of not being able to play CDs.

Once the digital signal has been converted, it is passed through an antenna. It has a 1080p HD output that is fed through an HDMI cable and it also supports Coaxial, RF out and YPbPr output. However, it does not support QAM.

With the USB port, the converter box is able to let you do a lot more and enjoy your preferred content through your USB stick. Some of the media formats you can play on this device include DivX, AVI, MKV, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264/AVC, and VOB among others.

The diverse USB port is just one of the features that come with this converter box. You will also be able to enjoy a variety of other features like the new upgraded remote, closed caption feature, favorite channel list, program guides, recording PVR, auto tuning and most important of all among the parents is the parental control feature. This ensures that you have total control of what your children are watching and you can make sure that they only watch content that is age appropriate for them.

ViewTV AT AT-263 ATSC Digital TV Converter Box and HDMI Cable

This converter box is not very different from the former that we just reviewed. They are from the same manufacturer and the features are largely the same which include the auto tuning, HD output, PVR recording, favorite channel and parental control function among the others.

It also comes with a USB player just like the other one which supports a vast collection of formats which include MKV, AVI, DivX, MOV and VC-1 among other formats. The one thing that separates it from the others is the fact that it comes complete with the HDMI cable.

That is a huge plus unless you fancy going running through our website to try to find reviews of some great HDMI cables and going through the purchase process a fresh. We also loved the simple interface on the device which is quite welcoming and the fact that they have upgraded the remote to make it more functional.

IVIEW – 3200STB Multimedia Converter Box

Here is something that will make your viewing life a lot more comfortable and add some much needed functionality to your analog TV. It has a wide feature set and is able to get up and working in a very short amount of time.

With this digital converter box, you will be able to enjoy instantaneous recording of live programming or scheduled recording and with the electronic program guide at your fingers, you will never miss a minute of your favorite programming. We loved the fact that you can actually view the schedule a couple of days in advance which helps you keep tabs of your favorite shows and the built in tuner will make sure you have all your favorite channels locked in.

It connects to your TV through the HDMI cable so you are able to enjoy higher quality viewing in HD format. For such a handy device, it is very lightweight and compact so you don’t have to worry too much about where to set it up.

Zinwell ZAT-970A Digital to Analog TV Converter Box

This is for TV owners that are looking for a good digital converter box that works with an antenna. This one might fit your budget pretty nicely.

Some of the features that you will be able to bring into your home with this nice looking device include the ability to support all 18 broadcasting formats and it is also able to decode Dolby AC-3 audio. It is fully compliant with ATSC and is able to receive RF channels 2-69.

One of the unique features we loved with this digital converter is the fact that is supports V-chip technology and has lockable channels. You can also download ratings and region tables and select your preferred ration from a wide aspect. We also can’t leave out the fact that it has parental control features. It is a simple-looking device but has a plethora of features that will make your viewing better and improve your experience.

Indoor TV Antenna – 50 Mile Range Digital HDTV Antenna

This is not a digital converter box per se but, it does make sure that you never have to pay for cable TV again and you are able to enjoy all your channels in crystal clear quality with the help of an amplified HDTV antenna.

The antenna is able to receive a wide variety of free channels in different formats like 720p, 1080i, 1080p and it is able to capture the different frequencies. It has a high performance Coaxial cable that is extra-long for extra reach and the slim and elegant design makes it extremely easy to install. If you are looking for something to pair with your digital TV to improve the quality of your Over the Air signal, this is going to do the trick for you. It has a 12 month warranty as proof of its durability and is design makes its placement a lot easier.

We figured that there are other users out there that would just want something that will help them improve their viewing experience and not just the signal converted. So, we closed out the reviews with an antenna amplifier that can help you with that just in case one of you is in such a fix.

How Does a Digital Converter Box Work?

Even though the down converting signals can be complex, the functioning of a digital converter is quite simple. The converter box works by taking the signal that your cable broadcasts and changing it from the complex digital signal to the older fashioned analog signal. The now old fashioned signal is then fed to your TV using the different connections that come with the different connections.

Without the help of a digital converter box, your analog TV would be helpless trying to process the more advanced digital signal. You would be left watching static on every channel or just have a black screen depending on the make and model of your television.

Best Digital Converter Buyer’s Guide

You must be wondering what criteria we used to come up with our reviews. There is a lot we consider before recommending any products on this platform among them being the features that make the digital converters we selected better than others available in the market. Here are some of the features that we consider and ones that we believe you should consider as well to make sure you get the best possible purchase.

• Broadcasting support – most digital converters work to convert an ATSC signal to an NTSC analog one. However, you might be looking to capture a local low power station that has an analog signal. It is important to make sure that the converter you pick has an Analogue Pass – Through feature. You will also need to go for a QAM supported converter box if you would like to watch digital cable channels.
• Image resolution – when considering the image resolution, there are a couple of factors that you need to consider. The first is the broadcasted resolution and also the set resolution of your TV. If the TV has a standard SDTV screen you don’t need to pay extra to buy converter that support HDTV video signal reception since this won’t have any effect on your viewing. But, if your TV is 1080p you should make a point of picking a tuner that has the same capacity. The goal here is to pick a tuner that matches the resolution quality of your TV. That will make it much easier for you to enjoy quality viewing without spending a fortune.
• Tuner features – even though the goal of buying a digital converter box is to help you make more use of your analogue TV, that doesn’t mean that you should take a pass on some of the extra features that come with digital converter boxes. Features like a USB media plater, program recording, favorite channels list, closed caption, auto tuning, slip mode, shutdown timer and the ever so important parental control. All these are features that will make the device more useful to you.
• Interface and Multi-media processing – this is with regards to how the tuner connects to the TV. In most cases, it is recommended that a HDMI connector is used so that you enjoy the best viewing quality. But, there are some analogue TVs that might not have this feature. In such a case, composite audio/video ports should do the trick. You will also need a USB connector in case you want to connect some external memory.
• Price – Of course the price is also something you will want to factor in. Digital converters come in a wide range of prices and you have to choose the one you feel will work best for you. It is important that you don’t pick a digital converter just because it is the cheapest. After all, you might end up getting what you paid for. Weigh the features and durability of the product to make sure you are getting the most out of the price you pay.

Tying up the bow

TV time is very important to any person or family. With the advent of digital signals, you might be required to buy a digital TV which is not only costly but could be out of your budget at the time. That doesn’t mean that you have to be locked out of the world. A digital converter box can help you with this.

However, you have the duty of making sure your viewing experience is the best by making sure that you buy a converter box that has the best features to match your TV. We went through the trouble of reviewing the best products for you and even going through a list of some of the things you should consider when making the purchase. This way, you don’t have to do this by yourself. Now all that is left is for you to make a pick which you feel will give you the best experience possible.